The present disclosure generally relates to data encryption, and more specifically, securely providing electronic data through carrier encryption in network communications.
More and more consumers are purchasing items and services over electronic networks such as, for example, the Internet. Consumers routinely purchase products and services from merchants and individuals alike. The transactions may take place directly between a conventional or on-line merchant or retailer and the consumer, and payment is typically made by entering credit card or other financial information. Transactions may also take place with the aid of an on-line or mobile payment service provider such as, for example, PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. Such payment service providers can make transactions easier and safer for the parties involved. Purchasing with the assistance of a payment service provider from the convenience of virtually anywhere using a mobile device is one main reason why on-line and mobile purchases are growing very quickly.
Users of payment service providers, on-line merchants, and other on-line service providers may access respective user accounts via their mobile devices and request secure information that is only accessible when the user of the mobile device is verified by a security feature such as manually typing in user credentials. However, requesting a user to provide information through manual data entry is arduous, especially on mobile devices. Some applications (e.g., PayPal's One Touch™) provide secure user information to the user using credentials the user has already provided to access the mobile device, thereby reducing the number of times a user has to login to perform payment processing or access certain secure data. As these applications become more popular, however, they also become more lucrative targets for hackers. These processes, along with other traditional authentication techniques, are not indomitable, especially as hackers become more sophisticated. These types of security compromises may result in monetary loss to consumers and/or merchants, as well as exposure of sensitive personal and financial information.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.